Newsstand: April 18, 2012

Wednesday: the beginning of the end. So sit tight. But also: Woodbine racetrack vies for the casino; some neighbours of Harbourfront threaten to ruin the fun for everybody; the City will keep some TDSB pools afloat for now; and U of T law students attempting to chill out causes stress for some.

According to Woodbine racetrack operator Woodbine Entertainment Group, what better place to stick a Toronto casino and entertainment complex than…(wait for it)…Woodbine! And, according to two recent opinion polls—one commissioned by the good people at Woodbine themselves—Etobicoke is one of the top preferred sites to put the thing (y’know, the casino…thing). Should they push forward with a bid, Woodbine will need to take on U.S. giant MGM Resorts International. That’s bold. Don’t those guys, like, run Disneyworld?

In other entertainment news, Lindsay Lohan wrecked shit. Sorry, that is plausible, but a lie. Rather, a small group of downtown residents living near Harbourfront have gotten so vocal in their complaints to the City about noisy events that the president of the entertainment group that runs events there has suggested he may drop the site.

Thirty-three school pools that offer city-wide swimming programs have been granted temporary respite, with municipal funds not drying up (heh) for now, at least. The City reached a five-year agreement with the TDSB to continue supporting said schools, but warns they won’t necessarily be spared in future budget cuts.

Dogs and yoga, long known for sparking controversy, have done it again—this time, at University of Toronto law school. In a new effort to look out for the mental health of stressed out law students, the school offered students a chance to relax by playing with dogs, doing yoga, and getting a foot massage. Further, they’re considering foregoing letter grades for a less daunting grading system. Some in the field have expressed resentment, claiming students need to be fully prepared for the intense pressures of the “real world” of lawyering. Get those crazy, high-achieving, Type A-types out of downward dog and back into reality. ‘Cause learning relaxation and coping mechanisms early in the game is a copout, or something. Better to teeter on the precarious edge of a breakdown for your entire career, including the time you’re in school. (What? I’m not in law school. Just thinking about it brings on a mild panic attack. Everything’s fine.)